T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Co-founder Paula Rutherford (holding scissors), led a ribbon cutting for Iowa River Hospice during a celebration of its 40-year anniversary at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC) on Thursday night.

Paula Rutherford and Beth Weitzell were both young nursing instructors in Marshalltown when they began to float the idea that eventually became Iowa River Hospice. Four decades later, their original vision lives on and continues to thrive, and on Thursday night, the organization celebrated its 40-year anniversary with a ribbon cutting and short program at the Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center (MACC).

Current Executive Director Shauna Callaway served as the emcee for the evening, sharing a bit of history on the hospice movement and how it ultimately came to Marshalltown in the form of IRH. The purpose of hospice care, Callaway said, goes beyond end-of-life medical care: it also encompasses emotional and spiritual comforts as well.

“It was a revolutionary, holistic approach, treating a dying patient as an individual human being rather than a condition or a collection of symptoms,” she said.

She then shared how Rutherford and Weitzell came together to create IRH so many years ago and how a large financial gift allowed for the construction of an inpatient hospice home, located at 502 Plaza Heights Rd., in 2009. Rutherford took the stage next and recounted the early days, when she and Weitzell’s students asked why there was no hospice service in Marshalltown, which they took as a sign that it was their time to do it themselves.

“Those students kind of nail things on the head sometimes and don’t let you get away from it,” Rutherford said during a separate interview.

IRH was incorporated on Jan. 28, 1983 — when Rutherford was just 28 years old, and many years later, both her mother and mother-in-law received end of life care from the organization she helped to start.

“I never imagined what an amazing source of comfort and support that Iowa River Hospice would be for me, my husband Brad and our families,” she said. “I am so proud of the agency that Iowa River Hospice has become and continues to be. The staff and volunteers are top notch. I’m also very proud of the support the community has provided to Iowa River Hospice in the beginning and over the last 40 years.”

Elaine Peterson, the widow of the late Rick Peterson, expressed her gratitude for the experience she had with IRH during her husband’s final days.

“If you could take all the positive adjectives in the dictionary, I still don’t feel you could come up with enough to adequately describe the Iowa River Hospice, in my opinion,” Peterson said. “The brick and mortar is just the shell. All the essential parts are the people. Iowa River Hospice is not only a palliative care facility for the patient, like I had thought, but it is an organization that engages the whole family.”

A few adjectives she did use included “high quality,” “professional,” “selfless,” “peaceful” and “having a calming demeanor.” After Peterson concluded, Callaway gave one more thank you to the staff, volunteers and donors who have worked to further IRH’s mission over the years, and snacks and refreshments were available for those who stopped by the event.

“I promise all of you and this community that Iowa River Hospice is still growing. We will continue to provide excellence in care and compassion to those we are privileged to serve for another 40 years,” she said.

Weitzell now spends her winters in Texas, but she spoke to the T-R earlier in the week about the journey she and Rutherford embarked on together and how they both came to take an interest in death and dying as nursing instructors. She and Rutherford were quick to praise the medical professionals like Dr. Milt VanGundy and Dr. Tom Foley and pastors who were part of the inaugural steering committee to get IRH off the ground.

“We just had some really good people in our corner that were willing to take a risk,” Rutherford said.

With a need for staff to expand the operation and only $3,000 in its treasury, a banker asked Weitzell how the founders planned to make it work, and she joked that their only response was “faith.” Edie Avery became the first executive director, and the organization has enjoyed a tradition of strong leadership throughout its existence.

They utilized a few different available rental spaces before funding and land was finally secured for the hospice house, which now serves as a testament to the original vision Rutherford and Weitzell shared.

“I just have felt, from the very beginning, all of the things that we went through and trying to get that little fledgling thing off the ground, I’m just so glad we’ve had people that have come along and seen the need for hospice and the kind of care that needed to be given and have contributed to that through this,” Weitzell said. “I can hardly believe it’s been 40 years.”

To this day, thanks to the generosity of Marshalltown area residents and sturdy management, Iowa River Hospice continues to serve as what Rutherford describes as a “blessing” for the entire community.

“You just feel like you get tucked in and taken care of for a while,” Rutherford said. “It’s humbling, really, is what it is because we could never have done it without all the people that were involved in the steering committee, the professionals that supported us along the way and the doctors that ordered the care… It’s a major dream come true.”

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Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.